Gerry Adams says “let Orangemen march” amid summer of chaos

In an exclusive interview with JOE, the former Sinn Fein president discusses Gaza, racism and Ireland's future.

The full video will be on youtube.com/politicsJOE this Sunday at 6pm.

This summer marching season in the north has seen injuries, houses destroyed by fire and bonfire builders charged with hate crimes, but Adams says despite hateful conduct by some involved, the Orange Order parades should continue.

"I have sort of mixed mixed feelings," Adams said.

"The Orange Order is a sectarian organization, but for most of its parades, they are family affairs, and particularly in rural Ireland, people gather.

"I know lots of Orange men, and they like marching bands, and I like marching bands. At least I like bagpipe bands.

"Let the Orange men march as long as they don't go to places that are not wanted.

"Let them have a good day out, and let them enjoy themselves.

"You can put up with that, and you can tolerate all of that. But where the sectarianism comes to the surface is around these bonfires and the utterances of the leaders, and I get uneasy.

"When it comes to bonfires, it's well past the time that unionist leaders took the initiative to try and sort this out.

"The people who suffer the most are the people in the host communities. They're they're the people who have to put up with it. The people who live in the actual places where the bonfires are built."

For the full interview visit youtube.com/politicsJOE this Sunday at 6pm.